Ethical, Legal, and Social Dimensions of Human Microbiome Research

2015 ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura S. Achenbaum ◽  
Kieran C. O’Doherty ◽  
Amy L. McGuire
Keyword(s):  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Microbiome Research

Ethical, Legal, and Social Dimensions of Human Microbiome Research

2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Laura S. Achenbaum ◽  
Kieran C. O’Doherty ◽  
Amy L. McGuire
Keyword(s):  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Microbiome Research

Inter-individual variation shapes the human microbiome

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily F. Wissel ◽  
Leigh K. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Microbiome Research

Abstract The target article suggests inter-individual variability is a weakness of microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) research, but we discuss why it is actually a strength. We comment on how accounting for individual differences can help researchers systematically understand the observed variance in microbiota composition, interpret null findings, and potentially improve the efficacy of therapeutic treatments in future clinical microbiome research.

scholarly journals Impact of the Human Microbiome in Forensic Sciences: a Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel G. García ◽  
María D. Pérez-Cárceles ◽  
Eduardo Osuna ◽  
Isabel Legaz
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Forensic Science ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Postmortem Interval ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Location Of Death ◽  
Microbiome Research

ABSTRACT Numerous studies relate differences in microbial communities to human health and disease; however, little is known about microbial changes that occur postmortem or the possible applications of microbiome analysis in the field of forensic science. The aim of this review was to study the microbiome and its applications in forensic sciences and to determine the main lines of investigation that are emerging, as well as its possible contributions to the forensic field. A systematic review of the human microbiome in relation to forensic science was carried out by following PRISMA guidelines. This study sheds light on the role of microbiome research in the postmortem interval during the process of decomposition, identifying death caused by drowning or sudden death, locating the geographical location of death, establishing a connection between the human microbiome and personal items, sexual contact, and the identification of individuals. Actinomycetaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Alcaligenaceae, and Bacilli play an important role in determining the postmortem interval. Aeromonas can be used to determine the cause of death, and Corynebacterium or Helicobacter pylori can be used to ascertain personal identity or geographical location. Several studies point to a promising future for microbiome analysis in the different fields of forensic science, opening up an important new area of research.

Gut Feeling

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S504-S505
Author(s):  
C. Cotta ◽  
G. Jesus ◽  
V. Vila Nova ◽  
C. Moreira
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Scientific Databases ◽  
Antibiotic Drugs ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionThere is growing evidence of the importance of nutrition in mental disorders. Gut microbiota, influenced by environmental factors such as diet and stress, has been proposed as one of the players on a dynamic called gut-brain axis, which is thought to have an influence on behaviour and mental health.Objectives and aimsTo summarize recent evidence on the topic, and its potential role in psychiatric interventions.MethodsThe authors review updated literature collected from online scientific databases.ResultsThe development of the brain itself has been shown to be influenced by the gut microbiome. Research demonstrates that the composition of the microbiota has influence on behaviour through neuroendocrine and other neuroactive messengers production by the bacteria within the gut lumen. Studies in germ-free animals, animals exposed to bacterial infections, probiotic suplements or antibiotic drugs suggest a role for the gut microbiota in the regulation of anxiety, mood, cognition and pain. The gut microbiome has been implicated in brain disorders including anxiety and depression, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and autism.ConclusionsThe treatment of mental disorders is usually based on pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions, and little attention is given to dietary interventions. The emerging field of research focused on the human microbiome suggests an important role for the gut microbiota in influencing brain development, behaviour and mood in humans, and points new strategies for developing novel therapeutics for mental disorders.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Computational Modeling of the Human Microbiome

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Shomeek Chowdhury ◽  
Stephen S. Fong
Keyword(s):  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Human Microbiome Project ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

The impact of microorganisms on human health has long been acknowledged and studied, but recent advances in research methodologies have enabled a new systems-level perspective on the collections of microorganisms associated with humans, the human microbiome. Large-scale collaborative efforts such as the NIH Human Microbiome Project have sought to kick-start research on the human microbiome by providing foundational information on microbial composition based upon specific sites across the human body. Here, we focus on the four main anatomical sites of the human microbiome: gut, oral, skin, and vaginal, and provide information on site-specific background, experimental data, and computational modeling. Each of the site-specific microbiomes has unique organisms and phenomena associated with them; there are also high-level commonalities. By providing an overview of different human microbiome sites, we hope to provide a perspective where detailed, site-specific research is needed to understand causal phenomena that impact human health, but there is equally a need for more generalized methodology improvements that would benefit all human microbiome research.

scholarly journals A guide to human microbiome research: study design, sample collection, and bioinformatics analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (15) ◽  
pp. 1844-1855
Author(s):  
Xu-Bo Qian ◽  
Tong Chen ◽  
Yi-Ping Xu ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
Fu-Xiang Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Study Design ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Bioinformatics Analysis ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
Research Study Design

scholarly journals Molecular Reconstruction of the Diet in Human Stool Samples

mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Maixner
Keyword(s):  
Human Subjects ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Microbiome Composition ◽  
Diet Surveys ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
Dietary Records ◽  
Stool Samples ◽  
Chloroplast Dna Markers

ABSTRACT Understanding dietary effects on the gut microbial composition is one of the key questions in human microbiome research. It is highly important to have reliable dietary data on the stool samples to unambiguously link the microbiome composition to food intake. Often, however, self-reported diet surveys have low accuracy and can be misleading. Thereby, additional molecular biology-based methods could help to revise the diet composition. The article by Reese et al. [A. T. Reese, T. R. Kartzinel, B. L. Petrone, P. J. Turnbaugh, et al., mSystems 4(5):e00458-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00458-19] in a recent issue of mSystems describes a DNA metabarcoding strategy targeting chloroplast DNA markers in stool samples from 11 human subjects consuming both controlled and freely selected diets. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of this molecular method in detecting plant remains in the sample compared to the written dietary records. This study displays an important first step in implementing molecular dietary reconstructions in stool microbiome studies which will finally help to increase the accuracy of dietary metadata.

Biobanking for human microbiome research: promise, risks, and ethics

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghui Ma ◽  
Hua Chen ◽  
Ruipeng Lei ◽  
Jianlin Ren
Keyword(s):  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Microbiome Research

scholarly journals American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research

mSystems ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel McDonald ◽  
Embriette Hyde ◽  
Justine W. Debelius ◽  
James T. Morton ◽  
Antonio Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
Human Stool

ABSTRACTAlthough much work has linked the human microbiome to specific phenotypes and lifestyle variables, data from different projects have been challenging to integrate and the extent of microbial and molecular diversity in human stool remains unknown. Using standardized protocols from the Earth Microbiome Project and sample contributions from over 10,000 citizen-scientists, together with an open research network, we compare human microbiome specimens primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to one another and to environmental samples. Our results show an unexpected range of beta-diversity in human stool microbiomes compared to environmental samples; demonstrate the utility of procedures for removing the effects of overgrowth during room-temperature shipping for revealing phenotype correlations; uncover new molecules and kinds of molecular communities in the human stool metabolome; and examine emergent associations among the microbiome, metabolome, and the diversity of plants that are consumed (rather than relying on reductive categorical variables such as veganism, which have little or no explanatory power). We also demonstrate the utility of the living data resource and cross-cohort comparison to confirm existing associations between the microbiome and psychiatric illness and to reveal the extent of microbiome change within one individual during surgery, providing a paradigm for open microbiome research and education.IMPORTANCEWe show that a citizen science, self-selected cohort shipping samples through the mail at room temperature recaptures many known microbiome results from clinically collected cohorts and reveals new ones. Of particular interest is integratingn= 1 study data with the population data, showing that the extent of microbiome change after events such as surgery can exceed differences between distinct environmental biomes, and the effect of diverse plants in the diet, which we confirm with untargeted metabolomics on hundreds of samples.

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